ABF 16v Headache

My recently completed ABF 16v conversion on 16v KR Kjet is not making the right power at all so had her on the rollers today and see it only managed 135bhp and torque was nothing special either.
Whilst on there we tried the fuel mixture adjustment but to no real advantage.
So far i have:

Ran a compression test and got 14 on cyl 1&4 and 13.5 on 2&3

Fuel System pressure at 69/70 PSI

Fuel control pressure at 12 PSI

Timing is fine

Installed 4 new injectors and seals

New Dizzy and leads

Checked 5th injector is fine

no signs of air leak in intake pipes

It has full stainless Supersprint mani and pipe & K&N filter with cold side of airbox drilled

So on the face of it all seems fine however i would have expected at least 160bhp

Any ideas?  Can the ECU cause issues?

Honky said

My recently completed ABF 16v conversion on 16v KR Kjet is not making the right power at all so had her on the rollers today and see it only managed 135bhp and torque was nothing special either.
Whilst on there we tried the fuel mixture adjustment but to no real advantage.
So far i have:

Ran a compression test and got 14 on cyl 1&4 and 13.5 on 2&3

Fuel System pressure at 69/70 PSI

Fuel control pressure at 12 PSI

Timing is fine

Installed 4 new injectors and seals

New Dizzy and leads

Checked 5th injector is fine

no signs of air leak in intake pipes

It has full stainless Supersprint mani and pipe & K&N filter with cold side of airbox drilled

So on the face of it all seems fine however i would have expected at least 160bhp

Any ideas?  Can the ECU cause issues?

So, you are running an ABF on a Kjet system? with ECU also?

Have you checked the advance curve of the spark? Are you using a 2.0l air flap unit?

Control pressure 12PSI - is that hot or cold or both?

Cheers

Rich

I don't suppose they stuck in a lambda probe did they? If so, do you have a before and after on the fuel mixture adjustment was made? What adjustment did they/you do, just idle mixture or control pressure via WUR?

Also, what dizzy and ignition ECU etc are you using - the Mk2 golf KR one??? Its possible that this has gone into a "safe mode" and isn't advancing the spark properly.

@ Rich - Yep its using the K jet set up and ECU from a KR 16v Golf so the air flap unit is also the 16v KR unit.  Yes sorry should have clarified the control pressue is taken at cold.
How do i check the advance curve on the spark?

paul - Yes we had the lambda in and was rich to start, then leaned back to a reading of about 13/14 ran it again and gained about 3bhp.  Made a few adjustments to mixture and idle screws and tried different runs but no real difference.  I didnt do the WUR mod.
Dizzy and ECU are the KR items.

The guy at the garage thought the ECU could be acting up too, i never realised they could go into safe mode.  Any idea how i test that?

Thank you both for your help

Timing gun

Cam timing ok?

Havent checked, as i wasnt near em and it came from a fairly well maintained 97 Mk3 so i'm working on the basis that the cams were never interferred with.  I hope….

On the KR, its a common issue that the inter-cam chain stretches, putting the cam timing out and reducing power. I don't know if the ABF has the same chain but its worth a look at.

yeah i'd imagine its the same chain, must take a look and see if the 2 little dots are alligned

u need to use the mk 2 16v cams. abfs are from mk3s an ran a milder cam becos of the cat an came as 135bhp as standard.using mk2 could take u upto 150bhp.try different cams frm a mk2 or kent cams do a fast road cam for fairly cheap!

Not true - the ABF cam is almost exactly the same as the KR, and ABF engines generated 150bhp. You're probably thinking of the 9A, which was 136bhp as standard. Even then, its only the inlet cam which differs.

Checked my cam timing today and all was fine (dots alligned on cam sprockets)  See below:


Spotted some potential problems though.

This "nipple" is sucking in air on the inlet mainfold between injector one and two.  Anyone know what should be connected to it?


Also what should be connected to the two "nipples" under the air intake elbow?  Mine have one tube connected to both.


Inside the elbow


Also i dont have the vaccum switch that should be on the corner of my airbox in a normal mk2 16v set up, is this still needed?

both are wrong, kr cams have a more aggressive duration but abf's have 1.2mm more lift the best combo is kr exhaust cam and abf exhaust cam cut the end off make a mark 90degrees from std timing mark and use as an inlet, to get real power from that setup bin the abf head and throw on a kr head 027 casting preferably and u will have 170bhp this works as the kr head has a much better combustion chamber and less volume thus higher comp rat, and before any one argues with me i have extensivly tested all 16v set ups and kr's are a far superior head to abf

or u could buy one of my gasflowed heads for £300 that will give ya 200bhp and circa 160 lbft (thats the worst result i had)

Sounds interesting - what did you win?

r tech; how much does the CR ratio rise when using a abf lump/kr head? could i skim my head/block to raise it a bit before fitting together? (u seem very clued up) im just getting to grips with different combos/ rtios etc!
i have a 6a/o27 head and was going to use 2x kr inlet cams.
do they have the same effect? what would your heads give me? (exchange basis or off shelf?)
any ideas on figures with that combo?

thanks in advance